1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a carbon nanotube film composite structure, a transmission electron microscope grid using the same, and a method for making the same.
2. Description of Related Art
Transmission electron microscopy is one of the most important techniques available for the detailed examination and analysis of very small materials. Transmission electron microscopy provides high resolution imaging and material analysis of thin specimens. In transmission electron microscopy analysis, a transmission electron microscope (TEM) grid is used to support the sample such as specimens. The conventional TEM grid includes a metal grid such as a copper or nickel grid, a porous organic membrane covering on the metal grid, and an amorphous carbon film deposited on the porous organic membrane. However, in practical application, when the size of the specimen corresponds to or is less than the thickness of the supporting film, especially when the specimen is nano in size, the amorphous carbon film induces high background noise in the transmission electron microscopy imaging.
Recently, Zhang et al. disclosed an improved TEM grid in US patent application publication No. US20080237464A1. The TEM grid includes a carbon nanotube film located on the metal grid. In use, the specimens are adsorbed on the sidewalls of the carbon nanotubes of the carbon nanotube film, to avoid the background noise induced by the TEM grid.
However, the loading efficiency for the specimens of the TEM grid disclosed by Zhang et al. is relatively low. Although observation of individual specimens can be done by using the TEM grid, it is not easy to observe the entire distribution of the large amount of specimens distributed in a plane.
What is needed, therefore, is a carbon nanotube film composite structure, and a TEM grid with relatively high loading efficiency, that allows observing an entire population of specimens distributed in a plane, that enables high resolution transmission electron microscopy images to be captured, and method for making the same.